Whole Systems Transformation – from the inside out

Last week, I participated in a deeply rewarding program outside of Paris: Transforming Organisations with the Barrett Values Centre. Our focus was on whole systems transformation.

The program reinforced a simple yet profound truth: organisation-wide transformation and impact begin from within.

In times of accelerating change, rising complexity, and growing uncertainty, many organisations search for answers “out there.” New business models, digital tools, efficiency improvements, and sustainability strategies all play essential roles. Yet, lasting transformation doesn’t begin with tools, systems, or strategy. It rests on people—and it begins from the inside out.

Inner Change for Outer Transformation

Organisations are living systems made up of people, each one bringing their own values, worldviews, and levels of consciousness into the workplace. As leaders and changemakers, if we are serious about creating transformation in our teams, organisations, or societies, we must start by looking within.

Our inner world—our beliefs, values, mindsets, blind spots, and level of self-awareness—shapes how we see the world, how we relate to others, and how we lead. When we attempt to drive outer change without doing our inner work, we risk reproducing the very patterns we’re trying to transform.

This is where the work of Richard Barrett and the Barrett Values Centre becomes so powerful. Through their values-based approach, they offer not just tools for culture diagnostics but a shared language to explore and express what truly matters to individuals, teams, organisations, and society at large.

Values: A Window into Leadership Maturity

Values are not just organisational buzzwords. They are indicators of our inner landscape, and they evolve with us.

Who you are, what you hold dear, what upsets you, and what underlies your decisions are all connected to your personal values. Your values reflect your beliefs and what is important to you. They are a shorthand way of describing your motivations. Your beliefs ground what you value – both drive your decision-making.

Viewed through the lens of Adult Development or Vertical Leadership Development, values serve as accessible proxies for our stage of maturity. At earlier stages, we may prioritise values related to safety, achievement, and control. As we develop, our focus often shifts toward values like collaboration, contribution, authenticity, and service to a greater whole.

This adult developmental journey—mapped and confirmed by psychologists such as Robert Kegan, and others—reminds us that who we are as leaders shapes what kind of organisations we are capable of building. The more we grow, the more complexity we can hold. The more conscious we become, the more coherent and life-affirming our choices tend to be.

The Barrett Model complements this work beautifully. It provides an intuitive, systemic, and deeply human way to assess current values, desired values, and entropy—offering insights into both potential and developmental edges.

You can do a quick self-assessment of your own personal values here >>

The Barrett Model

The Barrett Model® is the outcome of Richard Barrett’s breakthrough work. Inspired by Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and tested over more than two decades of real-world experience with thousands of organisations, the model identifies the seven areas that comprise human motivations. These range from basic survival at one end to service and concern for future generations at the other.

It provides a proven and handy map for understanding the values of your employees, leaders, and stakeholders. Even better, it offers a means for creating more supportive and productive relationships between them and a deeper alignment of purpose across your organisation.

 

Richard Barrett, who started his work on values with the World Bank, is retired today. He has, however, written many books over the years. Today, he shares his vast knowledge on Personal Transformation, Leadership, organisational Transformation, and Social Transformation on The Barrett Academy (separate from the Barrett Values Centre), which focuses on the advancements of human values and the evolution of human consciousness.

Embracing Systems Transformation

As you have already guessed, the work of transformation doesn’t stop with the individual. Inner development is essential—but not sufficient. To meet the challenges of our time, we must also transform how we show up in relationships, in teams, in organisations, and in the broader systems we are part of.

This means moving beyond fragmented change efforts and toward full systems transformation—recognising that everything is connected, and that the health of the whole depends on the alignment and coherence of its parts.

Whether we’re working to decarbonise an industry, foster inclusion, or reimagine a company’s purpose and culture, technical fixes alone are not enough. Yes, we need knowledge and tools. But we also need a shift in consciousness—a new kind of leadership that is wise, emotionally mature, values-driven, and future-conscious.

We don’t just need better strategies. We need better stewards. Leaders who can hold paradox and complexity, who are willing to evolve, and who are able to catalyze change not just within their organizations, but through them—for the benefit of their stakeholders, ecosystems, society, and the planet.

Our values can help us understand where we are on this journey of systems transformation – as individuals, teams, organisations and society – and help us guide the way.

Toward Better Business and a Better Future

Ultimately, this is about creating organisations that are truly fit for purpose in a fast-changing and uncertain world. Organisations that go beyond business as usual. That don’t just strive to be the best in the world—but the best for the world.

This requires rethinking success. It means anchoring business in purpose and values. It means prioritising well-being, regeneration, and long-term societal impact. And it means acknowledging that the inner development of leaders is a strategic capacity—a key lever for transformative change across systems.

Last week reminded me that we already have most of the tools, frameworks, and wisdom we need. What’s required is rather courage, commitment, and community.

– The courage to look inward.

– The commitment to grow.

– And the community to walk the path with.

Transformation begins within, but it doesn’t end there.

Let’s keep working for Better Business and a better future.

Elisabet Lagerstedt

Elisabet Lagerstedt is the founder and director of Future Navigators. As a trusted advisor, consultant, and Executive Coach, she helps business leaders navigate beyond business as usual to build Better Business and co-create a better future - through insight, strategy, innovation, and transformation. Elisabet is also the author of Better Business, Better Future (2022) and Navigera in i Framtiden (2018).